SWSF Collaborates with ‘Girl Rising’ Campaign to Promote Female Sports Empowerment

Sharjah Women's Sports Foundation (SWSF) is leading the way for the empowerment of women in the region following an agreement signed yesterday (Monday) with ‘Girl Rising’ - a global campaign that raises awareness about the importance of educating girls and providing them with equal opportunities at school and in the workplace.

The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which took place at SWSF’s headquarters at SWSF, will see SWSF and Girl Rising work together to advance female empowerment through the medium of women’s sports. The arrangement facilitates extensive cross-promotion, with Girl Rising using their significant resources and global networking capabilities to highlight SWSF’s important role in the arena of women’s sports, and SWSF showcasing the work of Girl Rising at its many sporting events and competitions across the region.

“Sharjah Women Sports Foundation is delighted to have finalised the agreement to work with Girl Rising and to be in a position to further advance the vital cause of female empowerment. Numerous studies have shown how important it is for women to be placed on the same footing as their male counterparts in order for society to achieve social and economic advancement. We are extremely excited to be partnering with the campaign and to use our passion for sports to raise awareness about the importance of educating, empowering and providing equal opportunities for women and girls across the GCC and wider Arab world,” said Her Excellency Nada Askar Al Naqbi, Director General of SWSF.

Under the terms of the MoU, Girl Rising will produce a short documentary-style film featuring inspirational stories of women and sports, which will be screened across the Middle East and internationally. The film will be of the same high quality as the organisation’s existing acclaimed feature films, television programmes, videos and social media content, which have reached hundreds of millions of individuals around the globe. The agreement between the two parties will also see Girl Rising introducing opportunities for SWSF to associate publically with its campaign for women’s equality and sustainable female development, and SWSF reciprocating by generating a high degree of exposure for the Girl Rising initiative.

“Girl Rising has developed a renowned and well-deserved reputation for creating high quality content for use at the grassroots level to reach girls, boys, parents, teachers and community leaders in order to generate community-led change. Our efforts will see us teaming up to establish a leading sports platform for women across the Arab world that will showcase women’s sports and ensure that the sector acts as a catalyst for meaningful and positive change that will benefit the whole of society,” added Askar Al Naqbi.

Established by Ten Times Ten, LLC, a US-based organisation, Girl Rising strategically deploys high quality film and multi-media tools to raise awareness and change attitudes in order to remove barriers to girls’ education, employment, entrepreneurship, youth investment and equality. Through its involvement with SWSF, the campaign is now extended to the Middle East, with the aim of placing girls and women in sports at the forefront of the drive towards female empowerment in the region.

Attending the MoU signing yesterday was Nicolla Hewitt; Director, Girl Rising Middle East; Kawther Al Khudhairy, Researcher, Girl Rising Middle East; Her Excellency Nada Askar Al Naqbi, Director General of SWSF and a number of other officials from SWSF. After the signatures were added to the official agreement document, the representatives held talks to advance the implementation of their proposed initiatives.

SWSF was established by an Emiri decree in November 2016 from His Highness Sheikh Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. The foundation enjoys financial and administrative independence with full capacity to perform the legal acts necessary to achieve its goals. SWSF is chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah. In her role she is aided by an advisory committee comprising highly experienced members who possess a cumulative vast amount of knowledge in the field of women’s sports.